Greece: History, Culture, & Contemporary Society

To read more of our itinerary, click “Register Now” to view the registration portal.

Athens
5 days, 5 nights

• The Golden Age of Athens: Visit the Acropolis, a citadel built in Mycenaean times, and the first of a series of temples that honored Athena, the city’s divine patroness.  View: the Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the complex; the Temple of Athena Nike; the Parthenon, the temple to Athena which crowns the Acropolis; the Erectheion, dedicated to Poseidon and Athena; and the Theater of Herodes Atticus, originally built in AD 161. On the way out, you will also get to see the Theatre of Dionysus. Explore the Acropolis Museum. Continue with a visit to the Ancient Agora, or marketplace, which formed the political heart of Athens from 600 BC.  Socrates was indicted and executed here in 399 BC.  Tour includes Hephaisteion, the best-preserved Temple, and the Stoa of Attalos, a reconstructed, colonnaded building, which houses a small museum with the finds from the Agora. (Entrances included to the Acropolis and Museum, Agora, & Theatre of Dionysus.)
• Panathenaic Stadium: The Panathenaic Stadium is a classical cultural and tourist monument of Greece. Its history is directly connected to the Modern Olympic Games, from their revival in 1896 until the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. It is also the place from which the Olympic Flame is delivered to all the Olympic Games, Winter, Summer and Youth – entrance included.
• Greek Parliament: The Hellenic Parliament is the parliament of Greece, located in the Old Royal Palace, overlooking Syntagma Square in Athens. The Parliament is the supreme democratic institution that represents the citizens through an elected body of Members of Parliament. It is a unicameral legislature of 300 members, elected for a four-year term. During 1844–1863 and 1927–1935, the parliament was bicameral with an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies.

Tolo
1 day, 1 night

• Epidaurus and Olive Oil Tasting: Visit the archaeological site of Epidaurus with its Ancient Theatre. The ancient site of Epidaurus is dedicated to Asclepios. Asclepius was able, except for the treatment of patients, to resuscitate the dead, thereby changing the balance between living and dead. After your visit, proceed to a local olive oil domain and taste the extra virgin olive oil of Epidaurus region. (entrances and tasting included)

Nafplio
1 day, 1 night

• Mycenae Tour: The importance of the city, which Homer calls “rich in gold” begins in 1650 B.C and ceases around 1100 B.C with the fall of the civilization to which it gives name. Visit the remains of the glorious city including the Lion’s Gate, the Palace and the tomb of Agamemnon. Mycenae in legend was the royal seat of the ill-fated House of Atreus, and from Mycenae Agamemnon, “king of men”, went off as the leader of the Achaean expedition to war against Troy. Its name was given to one of the greatest civilizations of Greek prehistory, the Mycenaean civilization, while the myths related to its history, its rulers and their family members (such as Klytaimnestra, Ifigeneia, Elektra, Orestes) have inspired poets, writers and artists over many centuries, from the ancient to the contemporary times. Significant stages in monumental architecture are still visible in the property, such as the massive defensive walls, the corbelled tholos tombs and the Lions Gate. The Museum is built next to the citadel at Mycenae. While the most important Mycenaean artifacts are exhibited at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, a variety of other objects unearthed in the vicinity are exhibited in its three halls. It provides context to the excavations and it is easily visited after a tour of the archaeological site. (Entrance included). 
• Palamidi Fortress: This vast, spectacular citadel, reachable either by steep ascent on foot or a short drive, stands on a 216m-high outcrop of rock that gives all-encompassing views of Nafplio and the Argolic Gulf. . It was built by the Venetians between 1711 and 1714 and is regarded as a masterpiece of military architecture in spite of being successfully stormed in one night by Greek troops in 1822, causing the Turkish garrison within to surrender without a fight. (Entrance included.)